He has defied age. He has defied life-threatening injuries and illness. And Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan oozes the same aura that catapulted him to super stardom in the 1970s.
The iconic star from Mumbai, who received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Muscat International Film Festival on Friday, is modest to the core, which was evident as he met, without batting and eyelid, at least a dozen journalists for one-on-one chats.
The Indian cinema is changing with the multiplexes influencing filmmaking. However, much of Indian cinema's audience is in rural areas, where single screens still dominate and subtle cinema has no place. "Multiplex culture is growing gradually," Bachchan said.
Unity
Bachchan said that cinema was the biggest binding factor in India. "India is a very diverse country with different cultures, different beliefs, different religions, different tastes, different likes and dislikes."
However, the veteran actor believes that one factor that unites the nation is cinema. "Therefore, we are very proud of the fact that we are able to unite this diverse country.
"We are very proud to be part of the fraternity that brings people together, unites people," he said.
"In the dark cinema hall, we never bother to see the colour of the person sitting next to us, we watch the same film, we enjoy the same song, dance and laugh at the same jokes," he said. The patriarch of the Bachchan clan added that there were very few institutions left in the world that can boast such credibility.
"It is rare in the world to find so many people under one roof, appreciating something that is good, so I think we need to be proud of our fraternity," he added.
He feels that Indian cinema is appreciated and viewed not only in India but also worldwide. "We have to give credit [to Indian cinema]."
The 67-year-old superstar's enthusiasm for innovation is still the same. His recent movie, Paa, on the fatal disease progeria, won him critical acclaim.
"It would be terrible to sit back in life, it should never happen in life when you are a creative person. Hope there's challenge every day for me and I hope we have the strength to take it," he said.
Did you know?
The sixth edition of the Muscat Film Festival has attracted 85 entries, including documentaries and short films, from 20 countries.
The festival, which started on March 13, will run until Saturday at Al Bahja Cinema, Sultan Qaboos University.
Amitabh Bachchan, veteran Omani actor Saleh Za'al and Egyptian actor Madkour Thabit were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt will be guest of honour at the closing ceremony.
